Stars and Shadow
by Morning Frost on Leaf
Summary: We all know the story of how Tiny escaped to Twolegplace after being attacked by Tigerpaw and became Scourge, leader of BloodClan. But what if Tiny hadn't fled to Twolegplace? What if he'd fled to ShadowClan instead? After being attacked by a savage forest cat named Tigerpaw, Tiny is rescued by a strange she-cat named Yellowfang...
1. Into the Woods

**A/N: Hi guys! I've had this story in my head for years, so I'm glad I've finally started to write it. I hope you enjoy it – please leave a review if you do!**

 **Chapter One**

It was growing dark. Tiny pressed himself into the hollow of a pine tree, trying to ignore the blazing pain of his wounds. His mind could not stop replaying the terrifying experience he had just endured. He'd run away from his housefolk and ventured into the woods, only to be confronted by a patrol of savage forest cats. Two of them watched as the third, a huge tabby tom called Tigerpaw, mauled Tiny like a fox. "You'll never forget me," Tigerpaw had snarled. Tiny didn't think he _could_ ever forget his attacker: his dark tabby fur, his long bloodstained claws, his hungry amber eyes.

He managed to get away, but in his panic Tiny had run deeper into the forest rather than escaping to his housefolk's nest. Only when Tiny had put a road between himself and his attackers did he stop running and crawl into the hollow of a pine tree to hide, where he lay now, trembling.

Suddenly the nearby undergrowth rustled. Tiny bristled. Had the forest cats found him?

A cat emerged from the undergrowth. Tiny unsheathed his claws, ready to fight back this time, but it wasn't Tigerpaw. Instead, a snowy white she-cat with long whiskers padded towards him, her tail raised in greeting. Starlight shimmered in her fur, and her eyes were two blue moons.

Bewildered, Tiny looked around to find that the sky was suddenly clear. Before the moon had been covered with clouds, and the night was pitch-black; now thousands of stars lay strewn across the sky, like raindrops on black fur, and the forest floor had turned to silver in the moonlight.

"Do not be afraid, little one," the starry she-cat meowed.

Indignation made Tiny forget his fear. "I'm not little," he protested. "I'm plenty big!"

The she-cat gave a _mrrow_ of amusement. "Of course; I only meant that you are young in age. But you are big in heart and courage, and you will not be Tiny for much longer."

' _I will not be tiny for much longer'?_ Tiny repeated, puzzled. Hope flared in his chest. _Does she mean that I'm going to grow up to be big and strong like my siblings after all?_ Or…

"Do you mean that I am going to die?" Tiny mewed in a small voice.

"No, little one," the she-cat meowed. "Not if you choose to live and hunt and fight. If you choose, you will taste the blood of a freshly-killed mouse on your tongue and feel the wind on your fur as you run. You will defend your home with all the strength of your companions beside you and burn with love and loyalty and fellowship. You will no longer fear the shadows, for you will be the shadows." She fixed her glittering gaze on him. "Now tell me, little one. Will you accept death like a piece of prey which finds itself between the jaws of a fox? Or are you going to fight it like a warrior?"

Tiny trembled. All his life he had yearned for friendship. The very reason he ran away from home in the first place was because he wasn't wanted – not by his littermates, not by his mother and not by his housefolk. Now it sounded as if this strange starry cat was offering him a brand new life in the forest. He wasn't certain what exactly her words meant. _But there's nothing for me back with my housefolk,_ he decided.

"I'm going to fight it like a warrior," Tiny mewed. "But…" He glanced down at his flank, where Tigerpaw's claw marks were crisscrossed across his pelt.

The white she-cat vanished into the undergrowth. Tiny pricked his ears, wondering if she'd left, but a few heartbeats later she reappeared with a bundle of leaves in her mouth. Tiny tried not to wince as she chewed up the leaves and licked the paste onto his scratches. But with each new lick, Tiny felt strength return to his body until finally he felt able to stand. As he rose to his paws, Tiny felt triumphant, his fear of Tigerpaw forgotten.

"Thanks!" he purred, twisting to look at the paste she'd applied to his wounds.

There was no reply. Tiny looked back up to see that the starry cat was gone. Fur prickling, he whipped his head up to the sky then gave a sigh of relief when he saw that the stars were still there, glittering above the treetops. He could no longer see the white she-cat, but something about the sky of stars made Tiny feel that she was still there.

* * *

The stars were gone when Tiny awoke. Instead sunlight pooled in dapples on Tiny's black fur, making him feel uncomfortably hot. His body felt stiff and his wounds ached, though they felt a lot less painful than before. He narrowed his ice-blue eyes to adjust to the bright rays of sun. It was then Tiny realised that he had no idea where he was.

He looked around. It seemed he was in some sort of cave or den. Peering more closely, he saw that herbs were stuffed into cracks in the walls and that the whole place was filled with their sharp, peppery tang. It smelt like the starry cat he met yesterday, he realised. Was this her den?

He tried to rise to his paws but immediately was met with a coarse, raspy voice. "Stay where you are, kittypet," it snapped, "I haven't wasted my valuable herbs on closing your wounds for you to wriggle around and open them up again."

Tiny searched for the source of the voice and saw, at the edges of his vision, a she-cat with thick, matted grey fur. She had her back to him, now and then turning to the side to sort herbs into a pile; as she did, Tiny noticed that she had the most exceptionally flattened face he'd ever seen.

 _That's not the starry cat I met,_ Tiny thought with a feeling of disappointment, and then confusion. "Did _you_ put that paste on my scratches?" he demanded. He thought the _starry cat_ had treated his wounds – not this flat-faced grey she-cat. Did he just _dream_ that he'd met a starry cat?

"No, I only changed the dressing – your wounds has already been treated when our warriors found you," the flat-faced cat answered. Tiny breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't just dreamt up the starry cat, after all. "It was fine work, that dressing. Who did it for you?"

Tiny hesitated. His littermates always accused him of telling tall tales and simply laughed at any of the stories he told them. Even his mother never believed a word he said. Would this she-cat think he was lying, too?

"A starry cat did it," Tiny admitted.

Tiny expected her to explode into hysterics like his brother and sister usually did, or dismiss him as having an overactive imagination like his mother. But to his shock, the flat-faced she-cat bristled and whipped round to face him. Tiny managed to look at her properly for the first time. Her ears were torn, cracked yellow fangs hung over her lips, and her eyes, wide-set and bright orange, were stretched wide as gawped at him.

"Are you sure?" she demanded. "What did the starry cat look like? What did it say to you?"

Tiny shifted uncomfortably in his nest, puzzled as to why it seemed so important. "Well, she had long whiskers and blue eyes," he began hesitantly. "I – I think she had white fur, but it was hard to tell – it was all shimmery, like stars had fallen on her fur, like raindrops. She told me not to be afraid and that I wasn't going to be tiny anymore and that I was going to eat blood and turn into a shadow." Tiny shrugged. "Then she licked some chewed-up herbs onto my wounds and disappeared. That's it. I'm telling the truth, I promise," he added quickly.

The matted grey she-cat blinked at him as if she were only seeing him for the first time. She began to tremble, and the fur along the back of her spine prickled. Just as Tiny began to worry she was having some sort of fit, she suddenly pelted out of the den, kicking up the herbs she'd just sorted as she went.

Tiny's tail twitched uncomfortably and he wondered if he'd said something wrong. The she-cat's reaction to his account was very strange; he almost preferred his littermates laughing at him.

Heartbeats later, the flat-faced she-cat burst back into the den – but she wasn't alone. Following her was a magnificent tomcat with dark grey fur. Though his greying muzzle betrayed his age, powerful muscles rippled under his pelt as he walked. He cast an impressive figure as he looked down at Tiny.

"So you are the kittypet the Clan has been talking about," the dark grey tom rumbled. "You must be wondering who we are. I am Cedarstar, leader of ShadowClan." He angled his ears towards the flat-faced grey she-cat. "This is Yellowfang, medicine cat of ShadowClan. She's been tending to you since our warriors brought you back to our camp last moonhigh."

Tiny's head was spinning. He didn't understand half of what the dark grey tom was meowing about. What was ShadowClan? What was a medicine cat, and who were these warriors? And what strange names they had!

"I'm Tiny," he mewed.

"Well, Tiny," Cedarstar meowed, "it seems you're quite a way from Twolegplace. Would you mind telling us what you were doing trespassing in ShadowClan territory?"

A wave of fear washed over Tiny. The savage forest cats had accused him of trespassing right before he'd been attacked. Were these new forest cats going to attack him, too?

"I didn't know I was trespassing - I was just trying to escape. I was attacked," he explained hurriedly.

"Attacked?" Cedarstar's eyes narrowed.

"It happened near my housefolk's nest, in the oak forest," Tiny mewed. "There were three cats, but I can only remember one well. He was really big and had dark tabby fur and long claws – longer than any I've ever seen! I think they called him Tigerpaw. I'll never forget him. He attacked me, and then I ran across the road and hid in the pine forest. That's when the starry cat found me."

"ThunderClan!" Cedarstar spat, turning to Yellowfang. "What mouse-hearts, to attack a kit! How typical of them to poke their noses into other Clans' businesses when their own paws aren't clean."

"You _know_ them?" Tiny mewed, wide-eyed.

"Yes," Cedarstar meowed, "and I know the cat you speak of, Tigerpaw. He's Thistleclaw's apprentice; he's not been training to be a warrior long but he's already much bigger than the other apprentices and making a reputation for himself. No doubt Thisteclaw was one of the cats there, egging him on. A nasty apprentice being trained by an even nastier mentor."

"Can we stop talking about the cats who attacked him," Yellowfang interrupted impatiently, "and start talking about the StarClan cat he saw?"

Cedarstar glanced disbelievingly at Tiny. "How do you know this kittypet hasn't just made all of that up? Kits make up stories. He just told us that he met ThunderClan cats before he met us, Yellowfang. Perhaps he found out about StarClan from them."

"Yes, I'm sure Thistleclaw gave the kit a very informative lecture on our warrior ancestors right before he told his stupid apprentice to rip the kit's pelt off," Yellowfang said drily. "No, Cedarstar, I think the kit is telling the truth. He met a former ShadowClan medicine cat. How else would he have survived the wounds he got from ThunderClan?"

Suddenly she leant close to Cedarstar's ear. " _Look at his eyes!"_ she hissed. " _Ice- blue_. He's the cat from the prophecy, Cedarstar, I'm sure of it."

Cedarstar looked over Tiny thoughtfully. "How old are you, little kit?"

"Six moons," Tiny replied.

"Six moons!" Cedarstar repeated in astonishment. "You hardly look bigger than three months! Are you telling me the truth, kit?" The grey tomcat fixed Tiny with a stern gaze. "It is a grave crime to lie to a Clan leader."

"I'm not lying!" Tiny protested indignantly. "I'm just a little small, that's all. But I'm big in heart and courage," he added. "The starry cat said so."

Tiny thought he saw Cedarstar's whiskers twitch with amusement. "Yes, I've no doubt about your courage; you're sparkier than the average kittypet." Cedarstar paused. "Have you ever thought about life in the forest, Tiny? It must be a very comfortable life for you, back with your Twolegs. I can't imagine you would want to leave a warm nest and an endless supply of food for any reason."

"My mama always told me that forest cats ate kits, then sharpened their claws on the bones. I guess Tigerpaw is one of those cats," Tiny mewed truthfully. "But you cats don't seem so bad. And I've loved the forest when I've gone exploring before. There are so many exciting smells, and the leaves feel so good on my paws… And I hate living at my housefolk's nest, anyway. I'm six moons old, which means that I'm supposed to go and live with some other housefolk soon. But none of them wanted me." His tail drooped. "My littermate said that if I don't find any housefolk to live with soon, I'll get thrown in the river."

Cedarstar exchanged an expressionless look with Yellowfang.

"I see," Cedarstar meowed. "Well, in any case, it looks like you will be staying with ShadowClan until Yellowfang is convinced that your wounds have healed. Then we will decide what to do with you." He gave his white chest a few swift licks before turning to leave. "I have Clan duties to return to now, so I'll leave you to rest. It was good to meet you, Tiny." Cedarstar gave his tail a farewell flick before padding out of the den.

Tiny watched him leave, still in awe. Then he turned to Yellowfang.

"What was Cedarstar talking about?" he asked. "I didn't understand some of the things he said. Who are StarClan? What's an apprentice? What is a kittypet?"

"There will be time for questions later, little kit," Yellowfang mewed dismissively. "Right now, you ought to get back to sleep. Your body is still recovering – and you're still a kit, six moons or not."

Tiny opened his jaws to protest, but Yellowfang cut him off before he could speak.

"If you really want to learn about life in the forest," Yellowfang snapped, "the first thing you should know is this. It doesn't matter whether you're Clan leader, a warrior from a rival Clan or some kittypet who has never even heard of StarClan before. _Nobody argues with the medicine cat._ "

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Here's something for you to think about before the next one comes out. If Tiny were to become an apprentice, what would his name be? Let me know if you have any good ideas!**


	2. The New Apprentice

**A/N: Thanks so much for everyone who left a review – I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts! Here's the next chapter.**

 **Chapter Two**

After meeting Cedarstar, Tiny obeyed Yellowfang's orders and settled down to sleep. But during the night he was woken up by the sound of voices from outside the medicine cat den. Tiny wondered whether the starry cat had come to visit him again, but he soon recognised the voices as belonging to Yellowfang and Cedarstar.

"You might be mistaken, Yellowfang," Cedarstar was mewing. "It wasn't too long ago that you were made a medicine cat. And before then, you were a warrior. You don't exactly have moons of experience when it comes to interpreting StarClan prophecies."

Tiny heard an angry hiss. "You weren't complaining about my lack of experience last quarter-moon, when you came crawling into my den with a bad belly. I'm sure of this, Cedarstar."

Cedarstar sighed. "I might have more faith in you if the kit at least _looked_ like a warrior. But he's a little scrap. He nearly gets clawed to death the first time he runs into an enemy cat. How could a kit like that ever become a ShadowClan warrior?"

"Whether or not he looks like a warrior is not important," Yellowfang mewed. "What matters is that he fits the prophecy. And anyway, no kit could have stood up to Tigerpaw and two other ThunderClan warriors. Not even a ShadowClan kit."

There was a pause; it sounded as if Cedarstar was licking his chest. "The news that Thisteclaw ordered his apprentice to attack an innocent kit troubles me greatly, Yellowfang. They say Thistleclaw longs to be Clan leader. Blood would rule the forest if that were ever to happen."

"ShadowClan will be ready if it does," Yellowfang mewed firmly.

"I pray to StarClan that your words are true. We must make sure we raise strong, capable warriors who are prepared to meet the challenge. Brokenkit is ready to be made an apprentice, but he is a sullen, angry kit."

" _There's nothing wrong with Brokenkit!_ " Yellowfang spat unexpectedly. Tiny's lids had started to droop but the sudden ferocity with which Yellowfang spoke jolted him awake again.

There was another pause; Tiny guessed that Cedarstar had been taken aback by Yellowfang's strange mew. Eventually, he spoke again. "Does he, then?"

"What?"

"Does he fit the prophecy?"

"As soon as I saw his eyes, I knew," Yellowfang replied. Her next words were so soft that Tiny barely heard them. " _Ice will save the Clan."_

* * *

When Tiny next woke, it was late morning: sunlight streamed through the mouth of the den, turning its stony walls golden. Yellowfang was pottering around, adding fresh herbs to her stock. Tiny couldn't hold back his surprise: when he lived with his housefolk his mother spent most of the day asleep, yet Yellowfang looked as if she'd been up gathering herbs before dawn.

"You're up early," he remarked.

"I have lots to do," Yellowfang mewed without looking up from her task.

"Don't you have any help?" Tiny mewed in astonishment.

"One day I will take an apprentice, who will assist me in my work. But unlike warriors, each Clan has only one medicine cat at a time," she replied.

"What's a warrior?" Tiny asked curiously. He was beginning to understand what a medicine cat did, but the remaining ShadowClan customs were still a mystery to him.

"You might learn a bit more, kittypet, if you kept your mouth closed instead of distracting me when I'm trying to perform my duties," Yellowfang mewed bad-temperedly.

Tiny blinked, taken aback by how grumpy she was; it was if she had something on her mind which was bothering her. _She probably just needs a good nap,_ Tiny thought, remembering how she was up during the night. He tried to remember what she and Cedarstar had been talking about, but he'd been sleepy when he overheard their conversation and the details were hazy. He decided not to dwell on it any longer.

Yellowfang's mood didn't improve throughout the day, and there was little for Tiny to do except observe his surroundings. Most of the time Yellowfang would simply organise her herb stores, but now and then a cat would enter the den, complaining of injuries or illness or bad dreams. They paid him no mind, but Tiny was fascinated at the stories they told. Some told of how they'd stepped on a thorn whilst patrolling the marshes; others claimed they had bad bellies after eating a dodgy piece of fresh-kill. Tiny guessed that these cats must be the ShadowClan warriors. _So they spend their lives living and hunting in the forest,_ he thought, awed.

Once, a ShadowClan warrior spoke to him. He was a dark grey tom with matted, bloody fur on his neck.

"Hello, Yellowfang," he mewed cheerfully. "I've been bitten by a grass snake."

Yellowfang grumbled about warriors getting themselves into trouble and fetched a pawful of cobwebs.

The dark grey tom suddenly noticed Tiny. He trotted over to the little kit, his tail raised amicably.

"Hello there, little kit," the tom mewed kindly. "You must be the one who fought off a whole patrol of ThunderClan warriors."

Tiny puffed his chest out. "That's right!" he purred. He knew deep down that he hadn't really fought off an entire patrol of ThunderClan warriors – _they'd_ chased off _him_ \- but he was pleased that everyone in ShadowClan seemed to think so.

"The whole of ShadowClan is talking about it," the tom mewed. "It looks like you're going to make a fierce warrior one day."

Tiny purred, then sniffed the tom's wound curiously. "Is that really a snake bite?" he asked.

"It certainly is," the tom purred. "Don't worry – I gave him more trouble than he did me. He's sitting over on the fresh-kill pile now, ready to be eaten."

"You eat _snakes?"_ Tiny exclaimed. Somehow that was even more terrifying than the thought of forest cats eating kits.

"We do," the tom replied. His whiskers twitched with amusement. "Would you like to try some?"

Tiny suddenly lost all appetite. "No thanks," he mumbled.

"Suit yourself," the tom mewed cheerily. "I've heard you kittypets eat little tasteless pellets that look like rabbit droppings. I think that's much stranger than eating snakes!"

A few more cats came into the den after Yellowfang treated the grey tom, but Tiny grew used to seeing them and by the evening he was becoming restless. It was only when he started batting at Yellowfang's borage leaves that she finally spoke to him.

"That's it!" she yowled, her tail twitching irritably. "You're getting under my paws now. Go outside and find someone else in ShadowClan to annoy."

Tiny's pelt prickled with excitement, in spite of her harsh words. "Really? I can go into the forest?"

"Stay in camp," Yellowfang mewed. "There'll be other kits in the nursery for you to play with."

Tiny didn't need to be told twice. He leapt out of his nest and bolted out of the den, into the ShadowClan camp. He let out a small gasp at what he saw.

Before him was a great, wooded hollow. Despite the evening sunlight, the hollow was dark and shady: tall pine trees blocked the sun and cast long shadows on the earthy ground. Cats - more cats than Tiny had ever seen before in his life – lay around the camp, some eating pieces of fresh-kill and others dosing or lazily grooming one another.

Tiny stared at the ShadowClan camp in wonder before the sound of playful yowls caught his attention. _Kits!_ Tiny thought excitedly, darting to the source of the noise. Maybe they'd let him play with them.

The sound was coming from a small group of kits gathered outside a thorn bush. Three kits were stood around a bigger, dark tabby kit with a kink in his tail. But unease crept into Tiny's pelt when he realised that the three kits were not playing with the dark tabby kit, but bullying him.

"We don't want to play with you," one kit, a she-cat,squeaked. "You smell funny."

"Yeah," another kit added. "Every cat says you're a kittypet, like your father."

"My father is not a kittypet!" the dark tabby tom yowled, swiping at the kits with his paw. "My father is the Clan deputy. He's the best warrior in ShadowClan!"

"But who's your mother?" the third kit, a sniffling grey-and-white tom,demanded. "Even you don't know!"

"Yeah, she could be anyone," the she-cat mewed. "A rogue, a kittypet, a _badger!"_ She raised her voice to a yowl. "Badger-stinky! Badger-stinky!"

The other kits joined in. "Badger-stinky! Badger-stinky!"

Tiny watched the scene and remembered how his littermates had bullied him. He had two littermates – a tom called Socks and a she-cat called Ruby. They never let Tiny play with them, and when they did they'd always be so rough that Tiny would get hurt. _He's too small and weak to play with,_ they complained to Mother.

Tiny had just turned six moons old when strange housefolk started visiting their nest. His mother explained how, one day, the strange housefolk would take Tiny and his littermates away to go and live in a new nest. Tiny did his best to make the strange housefolk and their cubs like him, but they were more interested in his littermates.

That was when his littermate Ruby said something so cruel that Tiny's blood turned to ice. "The housefolk cub wants us, not you. And you know what happens to unwanted kittens?" Her eyes glittered with malice. " _They get thrown in the river."_

Tiny didn't want to die in the river. So he ran, ran away from his housefolk and his mother and his littermates, ran away to the oak forest. Tiny thought he'd be safe in the forest. But then Tigerpaw came.

Remembering how his littermates bullied him brought back all the rage, bitterness and resentment he'd felt back then. _I hate bullies!_ He decided there was no way he was going to watch the dark tabby tom be tormented like he was.

"Hey!" Tiny yowled, his black fur bristling. "Leave him _alone!"_

The three kits stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at him. They exchanged glances with one another. Then they collapsed into _mrrows_ of laughter.

"So Brokenkit's mother _is_ a kittypet!" the she-cat snorted. "And now she's sent her kittypet friends to come and defend him!"

"Does he really think he can threaten _us?_ Look how small he is! He'd probably lose a fight with a mouse!"

The kits' taunts only made Tiny angrier. Ice filled his veins. Tiny unsheathed his claws. Then he lunged at the she-cat.

The she-cat was unprepared for Tiny's attack, and she gave a yowl of surprise as he barrelled into her. But she was a Clanborn cat, and she quickly sprang into action. Screeching, she dug her claws into Tiny's flank.

The pain of her claws only made Tiny more furious. There was no subtle ritual of swiping or boxing, no elegant battle moves that a Clanborn warrior might have deployed. Instead Tiny clawed and bit and pommelled at whatever he could, feeling some satisfaction when the kit let out a cry of pain. The two kits rolled about the dirt, a screeching ball of black and grey-and-brown fur.

Blood roared in Tiny's ears. He was vaguely aware that a crowd of cats had gathered around to watch the fight, but all he cared about was the opponent in front of him.

The she-cat gave a triumphant yowl as she managed to pin Tiny down; she was much bigger than Tiny, even though he was older than her. But Tiny wriggled out of her grip, quick as a snake. She lunged at him, trying to pin him down again, but Tiny was ready for her. He reared up onto his hind legs, claws outstretched, ready to face her head-on…

" _Enough!"_

The command was enough to make Tiny lose his balance and topple onto the ground. The she-cat, too, was startled mid-leap and landed ungracefully in the dirt. Both kits turned to see Cedarstar, the leader of ShadowClan, stood atop a smooth rock at the edge of the clearing. A brown tabby tom with a ragged pelt stood at the base of the rock. The rest of ShadowClan had made a circle around Tiny and the she-cat.

Tiny's anger quickly drained away and was replaced by fear. He'd attacked a ShadowClan cat! "I'm sorry!" he mewed, crouching down in a gesture of submission. "I was just trying to defend the kit with the broken tail. The others were bullying him, and-"

"Enough," Cedarstar repeated, silencing Tiny.

Tiny glanced fearfully up at the Clan leader. But to his surprise, Cedarstar's eyes were not glittering with anger, but with interest.

"There is no need to explain why you attacked Tanglekit," the Clan leader rumbled. "I saw what happened myself. Despite your small size, you saw a cat who needed your help and risked your own pelt to protect him. You have no training, no experience of the harsh ways of Clan life, yet you showed strength and skill in battle." Cedarstar raised his voice. "Cats of ShadowClan, is it not stated in the warrior code that a true warrior defends his Clan, even at the cost of his own life? Is it not said that the strong must defend the weak?"

"It is," a voice rasped from amongst the crowd of ShadowClan cats. Tiny saw the words had come from Yellowfang, who was gazing at the Clan leader with determined orange eyes.

"It is," other ShadowClan cats chorused.

"Then StarClan have spoken," Cedarstar meowed. "Step forwards, Tiny."

Tiny obeyed and padded towards Cedarstar's rock.

"From this day forwards, until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Icepaw. Raggedpelt, you will be mentor to Icepaw. You are a fierce warrior, and I trust you will teach Icepaw about the strength, cunning and loyalty required to survive in the forest."

The raggedy tom sat at the base of Cedarstar's rock sprang to his paws. He padded over to Icepaw and bent down to touch noses with the new apprentice.

"Well done, Icepaw," Raggedpelt mewed to him.

Icepaw felt warm inside, like sunlight was running through his veins. His original name, Tiny, had only been a reminder of his own weakness. 'Icepaw' made him feel strong, fierce. He was no longer a small pathetic kit being pushed around by his littermates. He was a shadow at his new Clan's side, quiet and quick, ready to jump in and defend them when needed.

"Brokenkit," Cedarstar meowed.

The broken-tailed kit who Icepaw had defended pricked his ears.

"Brokenkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day on, until you have received your warrior name, you will be known as Brokenpaw."

Cedarstar turned to a skinny black tom in the crowd.

"Nightpelt, you have shown yourself to be loyal and patient. I expect you to pass on these qualities to Brokenpaw."

Icepaw watched at Nightpelt touched noses with Brokenpaw, just as Raggedpelt had with him.

The ShadowClan cats raised their voices to a yowl. "Icepaw! Brokenpaw! Icepaw! Brokenpaw!"

Icepaw closed his eyes and let his new name wash over him. He remembered the starry cat he'd met shortly after being attacked by Tigerpaw. _Are you watching me now?_ he wondered.

He opened his eyes to find Yellowfang standing before him.

"Well, all my hard work was a complete waste of time," she grumbled. "You've opened your wounds again."

Icepaw ducked his head bashfully. "Sorry," he mewed.

Yellowfang gave him a sniff. "I suppose they're pretty much healed now anyway, and those scratches Tanglekit gave you just need a bit of licking. I'd say you were ready to sleep in the apprentices' den tonight."

Yellowfang flicked her ears towards a large bramble bush. But before Icepaw could pad towards it, Yellowfang put a paw in front of him, blocking his path.

"Wait, Icepaw," she hissed in a low voice. She gazed at him with urgency in her eyes. "I appreciate what you did today – standing up for Brokenpaw like that. Just… look out for him when you're training together, will you?"

"S-Sure," Icepaw responded, unsure as to why Yellowfang would care so much.

But Icepaw soon forgot about Yellowfang once he curled up in the apprentices' den to sleep. All he could think about was the new path that lay ahead of him. He was a ShadowClan apprentice now, and he was going to become the best warrior they'd ever seen.

 **A/N: The apprentice names you guys suggested were so good! It was _so hard_ trying to decide between Icepaw and Shadowpaw since I think they both sounded great. In the end I decided to go with Icepaw, since his eyes are ice-blue and he's associated a lot with ice in the books (his voice sounds like cracking ice, he is described as having 'ice in his veins', etc). I think it's a nice contrast with Firepaw, too (fire vs ice).**

 **Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter and if you have any more good ideas in the reviews. Brokenpaw is going to be training with Icepaw! Will Icepaw find out why Yellowfang is being so weird about Brokenpaw? Will Brokenpaw still go on to become Brokenstar, bloodthirsty leader of ShadowClan?**


	3. The First Hunt

**Chapter Three**

"Wake up, Icepaw! It's time for training!"

Icepaw blinked groggily awake. He was tired; it felt like he'd only slept for a matter of heartbeats. _Is it really morning already?_ Then he gave a jolt of shock when he pushed his head out of the apprentices' den to see that the moon was high in the sky.

"It's the middle of the night!" Icepaw exclaimed.

Raggedpelt, the ShadowClan deputy and Icepaw's mentor, was waiting just outside the den. "Night is the time of the ShadowClan warrior," he meowed. "It is when we hunt, and when we fight. Tonight, we will be heading out into the forest to explore ShadowClan territory."

Icepaw was so excited that he forgot all about his sleepiness. _We're going to explore the forest!_

Brokenpaw and his mentor Nightpelt were waiting for them at the camp entrance. Icepaw raised his tail good-naturedly, but Brokenpaw simply scowled at him. Nightpelt let out a hacking cough before speaking.

"Greetings, Icepaw," he wheezed. "Are you ready for your first day as an apprentice?"

"I certainly am!" Icepaw purred.

"Then let's not waste any time," Raggedpelt meowed, pushing his way through the Clan entrance. Icepaw, Nightpelt and Brokenpaw followed his lead.

Raggedpelt quickly picked up the pace, and the ShadowClan cats raced through the territory. Great pine trees loomed above them, so tall that their branches seemed to touch the star-strewn sky. Shadows danced on the moonlit ground. In the distance, an owl hooted.

Icepaw felt fierce joy well up inside him as he bounded through the forest. The bed of pine needles under his paws was soft and spongy, and all around were new and exciting smells: lizard and swamp water and the sharp tang of holly.

Suddenly a familiar, acrid scent hit Icepaw's nostrils.

Brokenpaw noticed it, too. "What is _that_?" he spat.

"It's a Thunderpath," Raggedpelt meowed, slowing to a walk. He glanced at Nightpelt with concern when the black tom started coughing again. "Are you alright, Nightpelt?"

The black tom's body shook as he gave another hacking cough. "My cough gets worse around the Thunderpath," he gasped. "I'm fine, though."

Brokenpaw eyed Nightpelt with disgust. Icepaw sniffed at the ground, then glanced around warily. A great path of grey stone loomed ahead of them. Beyond it, the pine forest fell away into oak trees.

"I know this place," Icepaw mewed. "We're near ThunderClan territory."

Raggedpelt looked at him with surprise. "Indeed we are," he said. "Can you smell their scent markers?"

Icepaw sniffed the air, but all he could smell was the choking scent of the Thunderpath. "No," he admitted. "But I recognise this part of the forest. This is near where Tigerpaw attacked me."

Raggedpelt led the ShadowClan cats right to the edge of the Thunderpath. Then they crouched in the undergrowth, watching the ThunderClan border with glimmering eyes.

"The Thunderpath marks the border between ThunderClan and ShadowClan. There are four Clans in all: ShadowClan, ThunderClan, WindClan and RiverClan. But ThunderClan is by far the worse."

Icepaw flicked his ears in agreement, thinking about how the ThunderClan patrol had attacked him.

"They are the most self-righteous cats you'll ever meet," Raggedpelt went on. "They're obsessed with following the warrior code, and they like to make sure every other Clan is following it, too." Raggedpelt glanced at Icepaw. "I think they'd rather chew their own paws off before they let a kittypet into their ranks."

Brokenpaw scoffed. "The warrior code is stupid anyway."

Raggedpelt looked at his son in surprise. Icepaw expected his mentor to rebuke him, but Nightpelt only blinked calmly at the apprentice.

"The warrior code is what separates us from everyone else," he explained. "Without it, the Clans would just be a lawless band of rogues."

Brokenpaw only snorted in reply.

Raggedpelt and Nightpelt marked the border before declaring that they would travel to the WindClan border next. "WindClan chase rabbits across the moors, instead of stalking their prey like the woodland Clans," Nightpelt mewed.

"WindClan aren't much better than ThunderClan," Raggedpelt snorted dismissively. "A warrior who runs in a hunt soon becomes a warrior who runs in the face of a fight. It makes their Clan weak."

The ShadowClan cats slipped quietly through the shadows. Icepaw glanced at Brokenpaw, lifting his tail in a friendly manner, but the dark tabby tom kept his gaze fixed stonily on the path ahead. Icepaw let his tail hit the ground with a thump _. I really expected him to be more friendly after I stood up for him_ , he thought with a pang of disappointment.

The pine forest fell away into marshland. Moonlight shimmered in the pools that dotted the grasses. The air smelt strongly of wet grass and mud.

They had barely taken a few steps when Nightpelt halted, panting. "My chest is bad tonight," he gasped. "I won't be able to make it to WindClan."

"Very well," Raggedpelt nodded. "We can teach the apprentices how to hunt, instead." The ragged-furred tom turned to them. "If you want to be a ShadowClan warrior, you must learn how to move quietly in the shadows. Icepaw, you will have the advantage here; your black pelt will blend in well with the shadows, and your small size will allow you to step lightly without being detected."

Icepaw nodded, pleased that his small size was seen as a strength, not a weakness.

"Now, copy me," Raggedpelt meowed. The ShadowClan deputy fell into a crouch then moved forwards stealthily, one pawstep at a time. Nightpelt did the same; his black pelt hid him so well that Icepaw could barely spot him.

Icepaw crouched down and began to creep through the grass. Raggedpelt nodded approvingly.

"Your position needs work, but you're putting your paws down nice and softly," he meowed.

Once Icepaw and Brokenpaw had practised their stalking, Raggedpelt lifted his tail in a signal for them to stop.

"Now, the first step when hunting is to sniff out your prey," Raggedpelt meowed. "Can either of you smell anything?"

Icepaw and Brokenpaw lifted their noses to the air, parting their jaws so they could pick up even the tiniest scent. Hundreds of different aromas danced on Icepaw's tongue; the strong, familiar smell of the ShadowClan cats, the rich, boggy smell of the marsh, the rotting smell of carrion being carried from faraway on the wind. But then Icepaw smelt it: a warm, delicious scent, buried underneath the others.

" _There!"_ Icepaw hissed, angling his ears towards a nearby pool.

Raggedpelt nodded. Icepaw dropped down into a crouch, just like they'd practised, and moved silently towards the pool. He looked closely, ice-blue eyes glittering in the moonlight, until he saw it: a small newt scurrying near the edge of the water. Icepaw bunched his muscles. Every hair on his pelt felt on fire with tension. Wiggling his hindquarters, he prepared to spring.

Suddenly Nightpelt exploded into a noisy cough. The newt darted away. Panicked, Icepaw sprang and landed clumsily on his prey. The newt scrambled out of his paws and Icepaw scrabbled desperately at the ground, trying to catch it. He felt the newt's warm body between his claws; quick as a flash, Icepaw bit it swiftly on the neck. The newt jerked then lay still, dead.

"I got it!" Icepaw cried happily.

"Well done, Icepaw!" Raggedpelt rumbled proudly.

"Sorry for spoiling your hunt, Icepaw," Nightpelt mewed apologetically. "You did well to catch it anyway."

The newt's blood was on his tongue from where he'd bitten it, hot and delicious. The newt itself lay temptingly between his paws. Icepaw's mouth began to water. Tonight was the farthest he'd ever walked in his life and now he was starving. "Can we eat it?"

"No," Raggedpelt mewed sternly. "The Clan must be fed first. That is what is stated in the warrior code."

Icepaw looked disappointed, until Nightpelt added, "I'm sure the elders would be delighted to share the fresh-kill with you. Just wait until you tell them you caught a newt on your first day in the forest."

Icepaw tried to pick up his kill, but the newt was almost as big as he was. Raggedpelt gave a _mrrow_ of laughter and scooped it up in his jaws.

"You've worked hard enough tonight," he mewed through a mouthful of newt. "Come; I will carry the newt while we walk back to camp."

Raggedpelt and Nightpelt led the way back to camp. Icepaw's paws felt sore and heavy after covering so much ground in one night, and he and Brokenpaw fell some fox-lengths behind. He remembered that he'd been woken up in the middle of the night for training and all of his tiredness seemed to return to him suddenly. Yet in spite of it all Icepaw felt warm and tingly inside, like he was walking on greenleaf sunshine. He'd made his first kill! He was a real ShadowClan apprentice now.

"I can't believe I caught my first prey!" he couldn't help but purr happily.

Brokenpaw snorted derisively. "A blind kittypet could've caught that newt."

Icepaw's good mood melted away like mist in the sunshine. He rounded on Brokenpaw, black fur bristling.

"What's your problem?" he snarled. "I _helped_ you. Yet you've been nothing but mean all night!"

" _Helped_ me?" Brokenpaw snorted again. "You've made thingsworse!"

"Last I saw, three of your Clanmates were swiping at you and calling you names," Icepaw shot back. "How could it be any worse than that?"

"Because now there's some truth to their accusations!" Brokenpaw spat. The dark tabby tom's matted fur was bristling and his ears were flat against his head. "Before, they teased me about my mother being a kittypet. It was cruel, but I don't think any of them really believed it. That is, until a kittypet turns up in camp to defend me." He lashed his broken tail. "Now, not only do they think I'm so weak I have to get a _kittypet_ to fight my battles for me" – he curled his lip in disgust at Icepaw – "but they're _convinced_ my mother is a kittypet. And it's all thanks to you."

Icepaw fell silent. He hadn't thought about it that way before.

"But why would they think your mother is a kittypet in the first place?" he mewed. "You were born in the forest. Aren't your mother and father forest cats, too?"

"My father is," Brokenpaw mewed, angling his ears towards Raggedpelt. "But I don't have the slightest idea who my mother is, and Raggedpelt won't tell me." His fur began to lie flat, and his expression changed from one of anger to hurt. "I was nursed by a ShadowClan queen called Lizardstripe, but she's not my mother; she didn't even _want_ to nurse me. Some cats think my mother is a ShadowClan warrior named Foxheart, because she was once in love with my father. They say that Foxheart gave me up because she wants to be chosen as Clan deputy when my father becomes leader. But Foxheart isn't my mother. I don't think any cat in ShadowClan is." The tip of his tail twitched. "I think Tanglekit and Runningkit and Deerkit are right. My mother probably _is_ a kittypet, or a rogue, or some cat from another Clan."

Icepaw considered Brokenpaw's words. "But I don't understand," he mewed at last. "What's wrong with your mother being a kittypet?"

"Because if Raggedpelt's mated with a cat outside of the Clan, that means he's broken the warrior code," Brokenpaw growled. "Taking a kittypet as a mate would be the most shameful of all. They're soft and fat, and know nothing of life in the forest." He cast a sidelong glance at Icepaw. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"I'm not soft and fat," Icepaw protested, his fur prickling again.

"Yeah, well, you're a ShadowClan cat now," Brokenpaw mumbled. Icepaw felt strangely pleased at this.

They walked on in silence for a time. Icepaw's mind was turning what Brokenpaw had said over. He was so deep in thought that he hardly noticed the sights and smells of the forest around him, which before had been so exciting. Eventually a plan began to form in his mind, like a newleaf plant beginning to sprout after leafbare.

"Well, _I_ used to be a kittypet," Icepaw mewed slowly.

"So?" Brokenpaw snorted.

" _So_ I know all about Twolegplace, and the kittypets who live there," he mewed. "If you mother _was_ a kittypet, I bet we'd be able to find her – or at least someone who knows her."

Brokenpaw's orange eyes stretched wide. "Are you saying we should go looking for my mother in Twolegplace?"

"I can't think of how else we'd find her, if she _were_ a kittypet," Icepaw mewed.

Brokenpaw was quiet for a heartbeat as he thought about this. "But what if we got lost? No ShadowClan cat's ever been to Twolegplace before."

"Twolegplace was my home," Icepaw mewed, almost boasting. "I know my way around."

That was untrue. Icepaw had never been outside his housefolk's nest except to explore the forest, and he didn't know many other house cats, either. But Brokenpaw looked so hopeful that Icepaw couldn't bring himself to admit anything else.

"Do you mean it?" Brokenpaw mewed, his voice tinged with excitement. "That we'll go to Twolegplace, and find my mother?"

"Of course," Icepaw purred. "You're my Clanmate now, and my friend."

By this time the ShadowClan cats had arrived back at camp. Icepaw and Brokenpaw fell silent, lest their mentors should hear about their plan. But Brokenpaw's tail was held high in the air, as if he were quietly pleased about something; and as they pushed their way through the thorn tunnel that lead back inside, Icepaw thought he'd never seen Brokenpaw looking so happy.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I really tried to show that the Clans were different in this chapter; for example, ShadowClan are a fierce Clan that prize strength over where a cat's come from, whereas ThunderClan are obsessive about the warrior code so they'd be aghast if a kittypet were let into their ranks. ShadowClan are always painted as the bad guys (at least in the Original Series) so hopefully you liked seeing things from their point of view for a change!**

 **As always, leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter or if you have any good ideas for the story. Thanks!**


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